UPDATE: Army says unexpected flare up a bonus for munitions clearing

UPDATE 10:20 a.m. Wednesday - According to an Army press release, the flare up of the Fort Ord controlled burn on Tuesday night resulted in more area that can now be cleared of ordnance than previously planned.

Fire fighters were on hand to observe the flare up which occurred at about 8 p.m. according to the Army in "Unit 33." That completed the burn of that unit. "As a result, in addition to Units 10 and 7, Unit 33 will also be able to be cleared of unexploded munitions and explosives as part of the Base Realignment and Closure plan for the former Fort Ord," according to the release.

The release also said the areas of the burn will be patrolled by fire fighters today and helicopters will drop water as directed if necessary.

The Army's burn on its former base Monday was declared a success. It's hard to say what Tuesday's effort will be called.

A fire scheduled to burn 341 acres on Fort Ord jumped a containment line about 1 p.m. Tuesday, causing nearby York School to be evacuated and smoke to fill the surrounding area. A flare-up was reported about 9 p.m., but appeared to be out early Wednesday.

Early estimates put about 100 extra acres burned on the final burn of the year, said Bill Collins, the Army's environmental coordinator on Fort Ord.

About 6 p.m., the Army said the fire was contained, an automated message repeated throughout the evening. The fire had not gone past a second containment line, the Army said.

Around 9 p.m., the California Highway Patrol website reported a call of another fire half a mile west of York School on York Road. An official at the Presidio of Monterey Fire Department said they were unable to provide information on the fire.

About 11:30 p.m., a large smoke plume about 800 feet across was seen rising from what appeared to be the area that was burned Monday. Flames could be seen from Ryan Ranch and from eastbound Monterey-Salinas Highway. The fire appeared to be out after midnight.

The reason Tuesday morning's blaze went over the first line is unclear. Army environmental scientist Lyle Shurtleff said he thought it may have been caused by "standing vegetation" catching fire in the first containment line.

Collins said weather Tuesday was a "mirror image" of conditions Monday.

Heavy smoke was still drifting along the Monterey-Salinas Highway corridor toward Salinas around 6 p.m.

The fire caused a flood of complaints from people living along the highway and concern among Monterey Peninsula residents.

Jolynn Rivera said she saw the fire re-ignite from her home in Pacific Grove and immediately thought of her husband, who works in the Ryan Ranch business park near the fire.

She got to the area less than a half hour after the fire jumped the line.

"I didn't hear anything," she said of news reports. "I just came over."

In the Carmel and Salinas valleys, residents complained of smoke filing their homes.

"A day that would have been perfect for out of door activity has been ruined," Beverly Paik of Carmel Valley said. "There has to be a better way to handle the situation."

In the grand scheme of Fort Ord burns, this one was pretty minor in terms of missteps in its effort to get at unexploded munitions.

Seaside resident Otis Stevenson said he recalled being concerned during the 2003 blaze but joined about a dozen people at Gen. Jim Moore Boulevard and Hilby Avenue to take photos of the fire right after it started Tuesday morning.

"I think it is awesome," he said. "It is kind of fun to see how they can control a large area like this."

John DeMers, a Frank Sinatra impersonator from Santa Clara on his way to see his granddaughter in Pacific Grove, followed the smoke plume from Watsonville to Seaside.

"I heard it was a controlled burn," he said, "but it looks a little out of control."

Tuesday's unplanned fire stayed within the Army's secondary containment line and did not pass the third line.

The Army started the fire about 9:30 a.m. and had stopped igniting fires about 11 a.m.

York School said about 95 percent of its 266 students had left campus safely about 35 minutes after the evacuation order began about 1:15 p.m. School was scheduled to start as normal on Wednesday.

The Army has been burning parts of its former base since it closed in 1994 to make sure the land is safe to hand over to the public.

It says crews could be out looking for munitions as early as next week.